Error in the Cosmos
by Downlow
Summary: Leanna Selwyn is a pureblood orphan who was taken in by the Longbottoms at the age of four. Her biggest misfortune is her natural tendancy to be evil and sarcastic. It could have been all right if James Sirius Potter and Fred Weasley were not in the same grade as her. James is talented. Leanna is only gifted with a good memory. They have absolutely nothing in common save one.
1. Chapter 1

The truth of the matter is that Gryffindors are scum. They've always been and will always be scum.

Some might say that my sentiment is biased as its roots lie with Salazar himself. But what's a Slytherin to do when one murky Gryffindor makes it his personal vendetta to belittle me every chance he gets _just_ because he can't beat me in class? And seriously, when is Hogwarts ever going to learn that having Slytherins and Gryiffindors together in subjects such as Defense against the Dark Arts or Potions or Care of Magical Creatures is _never_ a good idea?

And how is it fair that practically half the school is related to that _dipshit_?

"Let it go Lea. It wasn't _that_ embarrassing" my genius of a best friend gives his usual nonchalant effort just to seem like he's doing the best-friend's job, which I might add, he's getting lousy at.

"Shut it Skyler. You'd be singing a different tune if it happened to you"

He props himself on his elbow, letting the leaves that have fallen on his torso lazily fall off to the ground. The evening breeze makes the lake sound as if it's humming a deep tune, which is quite creepy to be honest. It's not an impossibility that Hagrid would give the lake to another strange beast within a night. Let's not forget the Dragon incident _he_ talks so much about.

"First of all" Skyler starts calmly and I groan dramatically. It's never a good sign when he starts a sentence this way. "I would never have the wit to be as sarcastic as you and that would lead me to lesser embarrassing situations than it does you"

He flops back down, a satisfied grin spreading across his face, but doesn't stop berating me. "The way you analytically proved that each defensive spell he used on you would have been totally useless if he was facing an actual dark wizard was kind of an ego shrapnel, given fact that he's a Potter. Besides, he's got mad skills that actually can't be beaten by the rest of us. You just happen to be better. The worst is that you _don't_ know you're better and end up going all out in .class."

I shift my legs from a crossed position to lie below my butt just to give myself more height "I do _not-"_

"Yes you do Lea. Just beating him would have been enough, but you had to _analyze_ his defeat, all because Freddy said that your obsession to belittle him is starting to look like you're trying really hard to cover up your infatuation." He cuts me off as I begin to protest "and you know what, I'm beginning to believe him".

It could have been the effect of the receding sun but he looks disgusted as he says it.

Both of us settle into a comfortable silence. He spaces out over the slow motion of the water, his head resting under his arm and one leg bent at the knee, the other resting comfortably against my knees. I sit in my uncomfortable position for a long time, going over the incidents of the recent past to see if I've given any sort of indication that I'm infatuated with Potter, _accidentally_. There's no way anyone could draw up that conclusion, given our history. Not once in these four years have we ever spoken a word without arguing and most of our conversations end up in a physical or magical fight anyway.

Making a mental note to avoid the Ginger clan all together, I lie down beside Skyler and muse over the beginning of the universe.

"Settle down, class" Professor Slughorn says excitedly, his hands rubbing against each other and his eyes the size of saucepans. "I've looked over your essays and graded them. However, I've written remarks on how well or badly you did your Euphoria Elixir last week on your essay parchments and would like to discuss them personally throughout the week. Now!" He claps his hands together and moves behind the table he has set up at the head of the class. "Can anyone identify the potion in this cauldron?"

The students crane their necks to get a better view of the cauldron resting on top of the table. It has a royal purple hue and smells of garlic and dung in a weird mixture.

"That's wit-sharpening, no doubt about that" Quips Fred excitedly. The rest of the class picks up the excitement. It's amazing how any Potion that Professor Slughorn brings to the class has the same effect on the students every time. Fred is extremely good at Potions as his father is recreational in this area.

"Precisely" Professor Slughorn beams at Fred, "Fifteen points to Gryffindor" I keep my mouth shut with the greatest difficulty but the rest of the Sytherins protest. Fifteen for identifying a potion? That's insane!

"Now, now. That was a tough one. People tend to mistake Wit-sharpening potion for Volubilis potion because of the distinct dung aroma. Well done Freddy, my boy" he beams at Fred again before giving us his attention.

"What are you waiting for, children? The ingredients are in the cupboard and the instructions are in your books. Get into your usual pairs and get on with it. Put your hand up when you're done and if your potion is brewed correctly, I'll let you have it". The class gasps in unison "Don't worry. It'll wear off within the day."

Skyler looks at me in bewilderment as the rest of the class shuffles about to and from the ingredients cupboard. Usually I'd be up and about before any of them. But I did make a resolution to be less "me" so I softly ask Skyler, "Can you do it for me today? Please? I'll prep the cauldron"

He purse his lips as if he's contemplating saying something but decides against it. With a curt nod he sets off and I begin prepping the table.

Half an hour goes by in moderate silence apart from random hissing noises emanating from different cauldrons throughout the class. Skyler is prepping the Armadillo Bile and Ginger Roots to be added on the second round while I stir the potion when Fred's and Potter's hands shoot the air.

"Already? That's some talent, my boy" Slughorn chuckles while walking to their table. He mumbles while inspecting the potion, "Yellow in color, just like Lily used to make" He beams at the two boys and bends closer to take a whiff off the aroma. "Smells about right too! All right, you can have a sip."

The two boys high-five each other before gulping down mouthfuls and I shrink in my seat trying not to be seen, knowing what is about to happen.

"Now that you're settled, why don't you two come to my desk to discuss last week's potion and your essay grades?" Professor Slughorn says to Fred and Potter and I feel myself releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding.

We finish our potion as the bell rings and Professor Slughorn asks us to leave any finished potions without clearing up for him to inspect. "I expect a 2-feet essay on my table by Friday evening on the merits and demerits of Wit-Sharpening Potion. Class dismissed".

Disregarding the rest of the class's protests, Skyler and I pack our bags quickly to get out of the class before Potter has a chance to catch up. We almost make it to the door when Potter screams, "Leanna are you actually running away from me?"

And I bite it.

"Of course not. We have places to be at".

"I'm sure you do. Give me the chance to gloat over this will you? I actually beat you this time. _We_ beat you by at least half an hour".

"Thanks to Fred's dad's mad skills you don't seem much of a letdown of Slughorn's memory of your Parentage. It would have been hard to be regarded as Lily Evans's dimwit grandson".

He doesn't turn red and storm away like he usually does. Neither does he scream out indiscernible insults or try to hex me. He walks up-to me, his ever growing 5'8'' towering over my 4'10'' and smiles.

And I shiver inside.

"This potion really does work, you know? Because I finally see what your problem is, Leanna Selwyn. You put on a big show because you don't really have anything of worth to be _seen_. You're neither knowledgeable nor elegant like the rest of the Purebloods and you don't have an ounce of sports or creativity in you. You walk around all day belittling everyone because you're downright bitter and end up at the top of the class because you have a good memory. That's all you have. Memory. It'll work on you as long as you're in school but what good is memory alone when you can't do anything original with it? The highest you'll ever reach is the Minister's Office and that too will be to read and remember the Minister's fucking mail".

With that he leaves me and the audience in a state of shock. The silence remains for another minute until Skyler drags me away and the crowd breaks into high shrieks.

What little he said he did so calmly, and it broke what it had to break perfectly.

Skyler wouldn't leave my side all day. He doesn't say a word but walks and sulks next to me like an extended part of me. We hid in the Astronomy Tower until darkness took over and then crept towards the lake where we now lay cuddled up against each other under a hedge. He's drawing circles on my back and fixing my hair randomly - non-verbally telling me that he's there for me. Unable to bear my silence anymore, he starts, reluctantly, "That's not why they left, Lea. You have to know that".

"Yes I know they didn't leave. They abandoned me. They abandoned me _twice_ ". My voice breaks at that and the tears I've been holding all day start to pour down effortlessly.

I have a very vague memory of my childhood. My biological parents left me at the church yard - wrapped in a blanket and nothing else but a necklace around my neck with a "Selwyn" pendant - on Christmas Eve, where the priest found me and gave me over to an Orphanage run by Nuns. I was only a week old then. The shock of that night changed me. I didn't cry or laugh until I was adopted two years later by a rich couple who were unable to have children. They have been looking to adopt a child who suited their quiet and busy lifestyle. They were Muggles.

Once I was given a home, the Pureblood magic in me started to erupt in ways that scared the rich couple - enough to ditch me on the Orphanage's doorstep and leave the country overnight. They only had me for a little over a week.

I was the odd one even in the Orphanage so I spent most of the time hiding in the Church yard, making up excuses for my biological parents who just left me there on a cold winter night. I would justify it, every which way possible because what I saw in other parents - who would bring their kids to the church yard to play with them - didn't add up to my parents' treatment of me. The only other possibility was that there is something fundamentally wrong with me, which a four-year old me wouldn't have been able to cope with. I was the only Magical child in the Orphanage so Mother Superior, who knew about magic, preferred my isolation.

That's how I met Skyler. In a sense, my life started when I met him. He would walk down the street with his mother to visit another Magical family every evening (He would be allowed to practice magic with the Governess who also looked after the younger kids while the mothers had a tete-a-tete). For a week he and his mother – a really nice woman – would wave at me as they pass by. Then Mrs. Longbottom started to send over pie every evening with Skyler. He would bring napkins for both of us so we sit there in the yard and eat pie, talking about how mean the Priest is to "kids like him" (Kids who don't come to church). It wasn't until an accidental burst of Magic on my part (The pie melted in hands when a bunch of boys started throwing stones at us screaming "Freak's got herself a boyfriend" and Skyler screamed at the boys saying "Run! Run! She's a Witch" and then we stayed there laughing until Mrs. Longbottom came to find us. Until then I thought he hadn't seen my little outburst but when Mrs. L showed up Skyler said, "Momma you won't believe it! She's a W!").

Mrs. L's countenance changed and I feared that she might take Skyler away from me. But she knelt down beside us and asked Skyler, "Did you tell her, Sky?" to which he shook his furiously, proud of being able to keep a secret. Mrs. L then dropped me off at the Orphanage and told me that she'll be back for me next morning.

Since then I've lived with the Longbottoms. Mr. Neville Longbottom works at the Ministry with Potter's Dad – He heads the Auror's Hitwizard squad. Mrs. Hannah Longbottom is a Healer at St. Mungo's. She specializes in everything related to the Mind, including recreational drug abuse. Skyler is an only-child. He looks exactly like Uncle Neville – with Aunt Hanna's color palette – Blonde hair, pale skin and blue eyes.

He's a Hufflepuff through and through but chose to be a Slytherin because he knew that's where I'd be sorted into. Skyler is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I snuggle closer to him and feel my sobs recede. He pulls me in willingly and kisses the top of my head gently. Softly, so as to not startle me, he brushes my hair away from my face and says, "They had to go so I could find you".

I let him pull me in closer and we stay like that, skin glued to skin, until a Weasley Prefect (This one's called Victoire I think) finds us and gives us detention.

 **A/N:**

 **Hi folks,**

 **I'm returning to writing after YEARS! Hope I haven't got worse because I wasn't that good all those years ago to begin with. A couple of things;**

 **As you can see, this doesn't go inline with Canon.**

 **Our main character is a bit of a b*****

 **Skyler is an Angel.**

 **Potter / Weasley boys are just Potter / Weasley boys.**

 **As per this chapter, James, Fred, Skyler and Leanna are in their fourth grade.**

 **Neville is married to Hannah but their jobs are different.**

 **We'll get to know more of Lea's parentage in the future.**

 **This story will get more sensitive as it goes on. If I end up portraying a certain group of people incorrectly, please do correct me. If I'm wrong it's because I don't know and I would love to be corrected**


	2. Chapter 2

An uneventful month passes by where I successfully keep myself out of everyone's way. In a castle this big in a generation of so many celebrities, it is not a difficult task. Mid-terms seem to approach us at a startling speed and the Professors seem to be assigning us more and more self-studying and essay writing so as to give more attention to the OWL and NEWT students. The OWL and NEWT midterms are different in the third Term. Their examinations are set by the Ministry itself as a mocker for the real exam.

This means a lot of things for the rest of us students. It means less Professors and Prefects patrolling the corridors at night. Since the beginning of October, the night duties have fallen purely on the sixth year Prefects and Professors of minor subjects. Hence the system is a bit lenient these days. The Ginger clan (As only Victoire is sitting for any of these exams, the rest of the family seems to be taking advantage of the leniency. Victoire is usually not included in these anyway. She belongs to another generation altogether) is planning a Bunk Night for the weekend – invitations are exclusive, curtsey of yours truly. Apparently, Potter and Fred throw some of the best theme events so it's bound to be noisy and catastrophic, wherever it may be. How do I know so much about them? Well through Skyler of course. He's a Longbottom. He's a part of the Ginger clan together with the Scamanders and the Finnigan-Thomas's (It's part of why he gets so riled up whenever I clash with _them_. I am of course, _not_ a part of any of these shenanigans).

So here we are in our usual spot by the lake, lazing away, lying on top of my picnic spread (Which was a gift from Mrs.L for my fourteenth birthday) when Skyler suddenly flops to a side to face me.

"Do you want to come with me this weekend? To the party I mean"

My body jerks upwards, caught up by a sudden laugh and I end up practically coughing my lungs out.

"Are you having an embolism? Because that's not something you would ever ask me in your right mind"

He flops back down, facing the sky "I know I know, no need to get all haughty about it. Just think about it all right?"

This time I sit fully straight, "What is there to think about? For one, I'm not invited and I don't think I will ever be even if you beg Potter. He'd rather skin himself than invite me to one of his parties. For another, why would I want to attend a party hosted by Potter? I don't want to give him that much of pleasure. You _know_ he'll just band together with the rest of them and bully me all night. Hell he'd probably invent a game specifically to humiliate me" when I only get a grunt in response, I continue, "Besides, what's gotten into you? Why did you ask? You've never asked me before and you love these little Ginger clan stuff. You absolutely adore them".

"Yes I do and yes they're fun. But Lea, you know I can't have fun when you're not there"

"Yes, yes I know. I'm the bread and butter of your existence. I probably have a year left to bask in it though – a year and a half tops"

He looks sarcastically at me, "and that would be because…?"

"Because your Adam's apple is already blobbing and your voice has begun to change. You'll probably start chasing the pretties soon"

Without a moment's hesitation he picks up his school bag and throws it at my head, without having to so much as move his body. I duck sportily – a very rare sight – and run away laughing. I run even though I know he's not going to follow. I run all the way to the Astronomy Tower without really thinking about it.

Once there, I bend over trying to catch my breath. Without really recovering from the lousy run, I walk over to the ledge, panting. Skyler does the sweetest things without really being aware of it. For someone who's never really known affection of any kind, it is the world to me. I wouldn't simply die for him – dying is easy. I would kill for him. I would totally kill for him.

But it is time to make peace with the fact that this won't last for long. Sure, we'll still be best friends and we'll still be the life of each other, but soon there's be a girl and then a career and it won't be this simple to share everything. I know it would hurt like a bitch but I love him too much to let his life be hindered by the lack of mine.

"I'm not even going to blush asking why you're out of breath because I know no one in here wants to snog you"

I almost fall off the railing in shock but recover fast enough to fall against the railing and not over it. The force of the impact knocks the air out of my lungs and I double up, panting. He doesn't laugh like he usually does. Nor does he say something really childish about it. He just stands there, smirking. I think this one's worse.

"Did you want something or are you just here to watch me make inappropriate noises?"

"As lovely as that might be, Selwyn, I'm here on business"

I straighten my uniform before looking at him, "Business?"

"Yes. Business. Look, Sky says he doesn't feel like coming this time and we know it's because of you, despite him strong denials" he takes a deep steadying breath with half-closed eyes as if praying to a dead generation to give him strength, "You're invited to the Bunk Night hosted by myself and Freddie. Either come with Skyler or convince him that you're really okay to be abandoned because I don't really get what the deal is. Either he wants to go with you or he feels bad about abandoning you. I don't care which is which. I do hate your guts but he and I and Freddie were best buds before you ruined it all so I actually give a shit about him. Now if you don't mind, I have classes to attend."

With that he disappears abruptly as if having an extended conversation in the Astronomy Tower was my idea to begin with.

I trudge along the corridors, hoping to the high heavens that Skyler would remember to bring my bag. Not that he ever forgets but there's always a first, and I really don't want to get into McGonagall's bad books. As I round the corner I spot Skyler arguing heavily with Freddie in hushed tones. Without sparing them an outright glance, I sneak into the classroom and take our usual seat towards the right corner in the middle of the class. My bag is neatly placed on my desk but Skyler's isn't. Disregarding this abnormality I start taking out my books.

"Heyya Lea" I start at the unfamiliarity and stare at the manic figure that's sliding into the seat next to mine. "I'm going to keep you company while the ol' boys finish their business" he gestures towards the back of the class. I crane my neck to get a better view around Freddie and sure enough, Skylar is sitting with Potter, heads bent behind a pile of books, talking in hushed tones.

"So…" I begin, knowing where this is headed, "You're to babysit me while Potter does what exactly, to my best friend?"

"Best friend" he scoffs and I shift uncomfortably in my chair, "that's rich. They're deciding what to do for games while I sit with the good kids, looking out for the Professor. In case you're wondering, it's the games for the party, nothing else. I managed to convince him to help us out with the plans if he's being such a wimp about coming to it" a pang of guilt – which I'm not sure I deserve - courses through me and I shift my glance uncomfortably towards the duo. Potter seems really excited and Skyler seems to be hiding a visible tint of red which has begun to spread to his ears.

"Don't you want to be a part of it?" I ask without turning my head around.

"Nah. As fun as it usually is, I think this time I'm going to take some time off to find out what's so great about _you_."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I snap without meaning to.

"Well you see Lea, before you came along, it was the three of us, all day long y'know? We were inseparable. What you see between James and I were what all three of us had. The worst part is, those two were the best friends. I was the little brother – purely speaking in friendship dynamics. They were even born together, y'know? And then you come along and it's as if none of that ever happened. It was as if-

"I assume what Mr. Weasley has to say is of utmost importance if the two of you can't even seem to hear the rest of the class greeting me" Professor McGonagall enunciates calmly while we struggle to scramble to our feet. "Five points from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Now, if you can all sit down promptly, I have some announcements."

"The Ministry is contemplating changing some of the subject modules for Transfiguration next year. This will primarily effect the OWL level students and that means you, in another month. The change revolves around moving some of the theoretical subject matter from the NEWT syllabus to the OWL syllabus so as to make the NEWTS Transfiguration more Applied-base and less theory based. This inevitably means that more content will have to be passed onto the fourth year from next Term and this is something you will all miss. However" she continues, drowning out the premature cheers of the class, "We do not intent to send you over to an already claustrophobic year to be asphyxiated even more. Hence you will be having an extra hour of class per day during the OWL examinations. Revised timetables will be delivered to you in due course. Now"

Before the class can create a conundrum she instructs us to turn to the chapter on Animagi.

"Who can tell me what an Anigamus is?"

Potter's hand shoots the air before Professor McGonagall finishes the question, "An Animagus is a witch or wizard who can morph him or herself into an animal at will. An Animagus is different from a Metamorphmagus because it's a full body transformation whereas a Metamorphmagus can even transform a single body part."

"Very god Potter. Five points to Gryffindor. Now before we proceed with the magical properties and the technicalities associated with the transformation it is important to understand the individuality that comes along with it. You can only successfully turn into a creature who shares deep emotional and behavioral properties with you. So to make this easier, I've prepared a simple quiz." She waves her wand and a stack of papers which is lying on her table distributes itself among the students. "You have fifteen minutes"

I look down at the parchment in confusion. There are only three questions in total and only two lines per question to write down the answer. Squinting my eyes as I often do when I'm confused, I pick up my quill to write just as Fred picks his up.

If you were to be anything other than Human, who would you be and how many others would be in your pack? (If you're a Lone animal – One)

 _I'd be the Peregrine Falcon and I'll be in a pack of two._

If you're a predator, how would you lure prey? If you're prey, how would you escape predators?

 _Right after they wake up - before they feel the dangers of the world or right before they sleep when they think they're safe._

If danger were to befall Hogwarts right now what would be its nature and how would you act?

 _The rise of Purists – I'd grab Skyler and run through the forbidden forest._

As I take the quill off the parchment, another set of questions appear below my last answer.

If you have a chance of saving either a class full of first years or your best friend, who would you save?

 _My best friend._

If you were to show me your soul what color would I see?

 _Black._

If you could rewrite history what would you change?

 _I'll grab my parents when they're babies and leave them in a dumpster._

All the text on the paper disappears and an image of an animal is sketched on the parchment. The creature looks like a cheetah but smaller with a narrower face and bony body. Half the creature's face is taken up by glossy eyes. Below the sketch a name appears: Margay.

"That… says a lot" Fred whispers in my ear whilst peeking over my shoulder. I swat at him and grab his parchment. The top half is occupied by a hyena running the breadth of the parchment while the bottom read the word 'hyena'. Fred chuckles at my confused expression and says, "I don't seem the type, do I? But dad's going to be thrilled" He says the last part with a glint in his eye. Even one who doesn't know him can say that it has a deeper meaning.

"It's nice to be able to be what you really want to be without even trying, isn't it? It's proof that it's real and not a stretch of our own destinies."

Fred scrutinizes me in amazement. He shakes his head, chuckling to himself, "There _is_ something about you, after all."

"You don't know the half of it" I say, trying hard to hide the blush that's bound to bring upon me a lot of insults in the future, should Potter have the fortune of seeing it.

"Maybe I want to know that half, and the rest too. Say what. Come to the Bunk Night without being a prat. You'll have _two_ friends in there. That's more than what some people have." He grins at me cheekily.

"Only if you tell Potter that you gave me an ultimatum."

"All right" he looks amused, "and what would that be?"

I think for a moment before responding, "I either come to a party or be locked in a broom closet with him. He won't ask any questions after that."

"Works for me"

"That's enough idle chit-chat" Professor McGonagall rises from her seat and walks around her desk, "You're all familiar with the basics. If you disagree, then you and I might have a problem as I'm the one who taught you the basics last year. This year won't be any different. You'll be learning more details regarding the transfiguration but we won't be studying it in depth until your fifth year. However, the purpose of touching on the subject this year is to give you some time to think if you would like to pursue the subject further in your fifth year. Any student who wishes to succeed in becoming an Animagus will be given the opportunity to do so. I myself was trained by Professor Dumbledore during my school years and I was a fully-fledged Animagus by the age of seventeen. There have been countless students who have achieved this state without actually being registered with the Ministry." She looks pointedly at Potter.

"James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew were such unregistered Animagus. It was good fortune that Mr. Potter and Mr. Black were exceedingly good at the subject because such unchartered trials could result in permanent damages such as being stuck in half an Animagus state. To avoid any such catastrophic incidents, we are offering to guide any student who wishes to proceed further. I will include the sessions in your fifth year time tables. You can decide whether you can manage it with the other subjects or not."

The bell goes off just in time for her to assign a foot-long essay on the procedure for becoming an Animagus. Fred waits on me as I pack my bag and we both head towards the door expecting to find Skyler and Potter. To our amazement, neither of them could be seen anywhere.

"Do you want to go flying?"

My eyeballs almost fall out of my socket, "When have you ever seen me fly?"

"Doesn't mean you can't."

"Getting through the lessons in our first year itself was painful."

"It is, when James and I keep knocking you off the broom."

"You _what?_ "

"We used to jinx you every time you got off the ground. Man it was hilarious." He starts laughing and lifts his hand to nudge me on the arm. He stops abruptly as he sees my face – his face transforming from a look of pure cheekiness to terror.

I can feel my face heating up and my spine straightening, trying to look a little bit taller in comparison to his hulking 5'7". Even the Professor got sick of me at one point and told me to only learn what I have to in order to pass the subject, which I did. It almost broke me. I was very good at sports when we were growing up together. Skyler is an excellent flyer but we always played muggle sports. I always thought it was for my benefit. Besides, I didn't want to be a hindrance to Mrs. L at all so I wasn't very keen on flying in case she felt like she had to buy me a broom. So he played Quidditch when he went to the Potters' or the Weasleys' and Mrs. L always took me shopping when he was there. I didn't do that well with large crowds back then.

But I always considered myself sporty and even fancied myself a tom-boy until I came to Hogwarts. I was excited to finally be able to fly freely but from the first lesson itself I was a major disaster. To my amazement, the broomstick came to me the moment I called on it. But I couldn't stay on it no matter how hard I tried. The moment my feet take off, I topple over. This is when I started to believe that maybe Skyler was pretending to be bad at sports when we played all these years just to make me feel good - because he would soar through the air and I couldn't even stay on a broomstick.

"It was just a joke. Come on, don't be like that. It was four years ago!" Fred looks frantic.

Tears start to pour down my face before I'm aware of it. I'm too enraged to even run away before I start crying like I usually do. To this day, even Skyler hasn't seen me cry but it doesn't seem like it's under my control this time.

I can vaguely hear Fred apologizing and I feel an audience forming. My ears are ringing and my eyes are blurring. I can feel my heart threatening to thump itself out of my rib cage. My mind finally starts screaming at me to get the hell out of there and I do.

It doesn't take Fred half an hour to find me. I'm sitting behind Hagrid's hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest when he does. Hagrid walked in to the forest to find some lost pet and said I could loiter as long as I didn't enter and as long as I left for the castle before curfew.

Fred doesn't announce his arrival, nor does he attempt to talk to me. He simply sits next to me, his legs crossed in front of him just like mine, and stares at the forest. We sit there for a long time, unaware of the time passing and the darkness gathering. After what seems like an hour passed by, Fred gently takes my hand in his.

"I can say sorry but it won't do anything. But I really am sorry, Lea. Just let me make amends, all right? Just let me. That's all I'm asking."

I take a moment to myself before I nod. I of all people don't have the right to refuse someone else a second chance.

He pulls me into a bear hug and lifts us both off the ground. Without even explaining where we are headed off to, he pulls me by the hand and starts to run. I keep up with him effortlessly until we come to the Pitch. We both take a moment to catch our breath, my eyes roaming about the pitch to see if anyone else is around. Momentarily, Fred walks to the dressing rooms leaving me alone. When he comes out, he's shouldering a nasty looking broomstick.

I start shaking my head before he even approaches me, "I'm not going to fly, Fred."

"I know" he says in his usual goofy way, "But I'm going to lend you my broom for the night. You can do whatever you want with it. Fly it, break it, hit me with it… whatever goes. Just do something that'll make you forgive me, all right?"

Without waiting for me to respond he turns around and leaves me alone in the darkness. I spin on the spot slowly, scanning the area for any sign of movement but there seems to be no one around. It must be well past six and the revision stress must be keeping most of the students indoors. A sudden sensation hits me square in the chest. I look at the broom and then at the sky several times. _What if I can actually fly? What if this is the only chance I get to find out?_

Throwing caution to the wind, I mount the broom and will myself to take off. I give it so much energy that I get thrown off into the air at a high speed. My eyes start to sting at the unfamiliarity of the wind pressure and I feel goosebumps popping up all over my body. For a moment I forget that I'm bad at any physical coordination, I forget that I'm bad at sports. I even forget to check if anyone is watching. I start to feel my blood burning, and an unfamiliar surge of excitement sours through me. Giving myself entirely over to instinct, I close my eyes and let my body handle the broom.

For once, I feel like I belong in Skyler's world. For once I feel less like a burden.

I open my eyes in time to see Fred watching me from where I took off. He seems to be cheering me on but all I could hear is the wailing of the wind. It sounds so familiar. I guess if my mind is allowed to wail all day, that's what it'll sound like.

I let myself enjoy the sensation and the adrenaline surge for a long time. A bit high on the surge, I shoot up vertically and then change direction, taking a one-eighty turn. With the help of gravity, I fly straight to the ground. Just as I'm about to crash-land, I pull the broomstick up and fly low in a circle, decelerating to land.

Fred comes running at me as I land, his face full of excitement. I start screaming in glee and jumping up and down as he scoops me up in his arms. He twirls me over and over and I start telling him everything I felt in alarming detail. When I stop, he keeps me gently on the ground and say, "I imagine I'm forgiven now"

I give him another hug, "Of course you are."

We break apart, his eyes gleaming, "Nice. Now let me take you back before Skyler comes looking because he swore he'll kill me if he's forced to go look for you _or_ if he finds you crying."


	3. Chapter 3

The Bunk Night is in two days and I had no idea I'm supposed to dress in a theme, until Skyler shoved money in my face during our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts on a lovely Thursday morning. Needless to say, we are arguing now.

"I do _not_ want to go shopping."

"I know. I want you to." Skyler adds nonchalantly, as if I'm not already a burden to his parents.

"It doesn't have a theme or anything. You yourself told me that the other girls come in evening wear or whatever is comfortable. You said sweats were fine." I pout, crossing my arms across my chest. My backpack keeps falling off my shoulder for some reason today and I look like a wild-eyed teenager, alternating between exasperatedly adjusting my bag and looking cross. I've already knocked on a couple of Fifth year boys who did not look friendly. One of these days, I'm going to have to remember names and faces just so I could apologise every time I have a hissy fit.

In reply to my rant he shoves a piece of parchment in my face, his eyes fixated in the opposite direction.

"What is up with you today? You haven't looked at my face on purpose all morning! How can you survive without my daily dose of prettiness?" I exclaim, tearing the parchment away from his hand. It's a letter from Mrs. L. Her neat handwriting read;

 _Sky,_

 _I really hope you turn out to be like me because your dad is still on a mission and I don't even know when he's getting back. If I have to go through the same thing with you I'll die of anxiety._

 _How is the party planning going? I hear you're taking an active role in it this time since Lea has agreed to come with you._

 _I don't know who's more excited. Me or Ginny._

 _I've enclosed some extra money this time. Please do give Lea her share before you boys buy the supplies. You always end up spending everything and I want Lea to have a proper girl's experience on her first night out._

 _Ask her if she wants to go to Hogsmede with Ginny this Saturday? It's anyway a Hogsmede weekend if I recall. If not you can ask Dom or Molly to take her out (I'd prefer if you ask Dom though. Let's not scare her away right after she decides to join in). Except, do tell her that Ginny is too excited and disappointing her at this point might have some serious repercussions._

 _Remind her how easier this entire conversation would be if she lets me buy her an Owl._

 _I know you don't like it when I give my opinion on this whole friendship madness you've got yourself into. You're trying to protect her and her secrets – I get that. But don't you think she'll be better off with more friends? Don't you think James and Freddy would treat her the same way you do?_

 _Unless you're holding on to your new found possessiveness as a way of belonging to Slytherin?_

 _Great-Gran would like me to add that I'm harping on this possessive thing because I can't handle the fact that you're more like her than either of your real parents._

 _Love you always and forever, (despite the dilemma your genes are going through right now. I'd like to call it "A phase")_

 _Mum_

I feel embarrassed and excited at the same time. Ginny and I have always got along well. She's one sarcastic woman. We would always sit in the lounging area passing comments on anything and everything that moves while Mrs. L did her shopping – which would usually take hours. We never claimed to be close nor showcased it to the entire world but whenever she's around me, I feel safe. If she can make Potter shut up with one look, then there's pretty much nothing that can beat her in a duel. Even Uncle Neville is a bit terrified of her temper and he's the head of the hitwizards squad.

"If you agree to go shopping with Aunt Gin but refuse to let mum buy you an Owl, you'll hear about it for the rest of your life."

"All right, I'll write to her myself" I comply with a dramatic sigh.

And as usual, we treat the serious emotional matter addressed in the letter as non-existent.

He beams down at me with a glint in his eye and something tells me I won't like what's coming.

"If a House Elf appears at your bedside during the night, don't hex him, all right?"

See what I mean?

We bicker about how much I hate surprises all the way to Professor Chang's classroom. Thursday is an interesting day, all things considered. We have double Defense Against the Dark Arts and after lunch I have Ancient Runes. Skyler chose Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes as electives in our second year but dropped Ancient Runes at the beginning of this year. I'm still holding on to both Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. I'm pretty good at these two subjects, if I do say so myself.

Professor Chang is the kind of person you cannot form an opinion on, because you'll always be wrong. She's sweet and soft spoken, and is very timid even when demonstrating hexes. She never raises her voice, not even when she's dead pissed. But she will make you feel smaller than a grindylow. The one time she demonstrated a duel in our Third year against Professor Weasley, it was pure terrifying.

But then again, "Timid but terrifying" can be said about all the Professors save McGonagall (She's Terrifying _and_ terrifying). This is true of Hogwarts especially during the Quidditch and House cup seasons. Professor Arthur Weasley (Who has been teaching Muggle Studies since his retirement from the Ministry) and Professor Slughorn are the Heads of Houses of Gryiffindor and Slytherin and you can expect all the House Cup and Quidditch drama possible from these two. Throw into the mix the cunning half-Goblin Flitwick and Pomona Sprout and you have an all-out rivalry. Besides, it does not help when one quarter of all the Quidditch teams put together are made up of your grandchildren. Last year it nearly killed Professor Weasley to watch Freddy take a Bludger to the head.

Skyler and I make a beeline towards our usual seats at the right middle corner.

Usually, Professor Chang starts the class on time, regardless of who's present. She doesn't have to do otherwise because DADA happens to be the most popular subject. As usual, two quarters of the class has already filed in when we take our seats. Needless to say, Potter and Freddy rush in as Chang is about to start.

She too drones on about the syllabus change and the possible overload of classes we'll have to face towards the end of next month. Needless to say, I zone out after a minute or two. My mind is musing about what Ginny and I could do instead of shopping when a tingling sensation progressing up my leg makes my whole body jerk and fall over my seat. As my face hits the floor I notice a paper grasshopper walking up my leg in a pitter-patter momentum.

I squish the paper in my hand and scramble up to my seat to see Professor Chang staring at me in amusement.

"Please do have the decency to fall on your face when you fall asleep next time, Selwyn."

"I kind of did" I say uncertainly, rubbing my bruised face.

"Excellent. Now. Can anyone tell me why a Hex-Deflecting charm should be practiced cautiously? Selwyn?"

I straighten up in my seat to not look so insignificant and tiny next to Skyler, "If you're bad at it the Hex will hit you square on the face?"

"Correct. The reason any kind of defense practice was put off until your fourth year is to give you time to develop a relationship with your wand. If you have a good relationship with your wand, it'll even act on its own accord to protect you – which is the hope here. There's only one known incident as such even though it's rumored to have happened before. Can anyone tell me whom it happened to and when?"

"To my dad. He was almost killed."

Potter doesn't sound triumphant or smug when he says this, just somber. It hits me then that maybe, just maybe, Potter has a heart.

"That's correct. No points for that because, that's family history. Now, the incident we are talking about was literally a life or death situation. There were seven Harry's - six disguised and one original – and their respective companions. The companions included four Aurors and Bill and Arthur Weasley as well as Hagrid. The death Eaters along with Voldemort were able to ambush them and fatally injure the party. Alastor Moody lost his life and George Weasley lost an ear. Harry's scar was burning and he could barely see when Voldemort attacked him personally. The wand takes charge here and deflects Voldemort's wand. You all know the story of how the two wands were kin. The relationship between Harry and the wand was so strong that it instinctively attacked its own brother.

Now a lot of people had a lot to say about why this happened. But as someone who learnt Defense first hand from the man himself, I think it's because Defense was Harry's innate ability. Let me tell you a little story."

At this the entire class leans forward, eager to hear more stories about them.

"After the battle of Hogwarts, we – that is, whoever was left of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix – split into different task groups. Some stayed here with Professor McGonagall to rebuild the school and heal the wounded but the rest of us helped hunt the fleeing Death Eaters. Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, myself and Proudfoot, an astute Auror were one such group. We were pursuing two death Eaters – Husband and Wife"

She glances my way so fleetingly that it only registers for a moment.

"They escape into the northern outskirts of Scotland when we close in on them. We do our ground work outside this castle that we think they're hiding in. We plan the ambush so well and proceed over the castle grounds confidently – only to be ambushed by maybe six to seven Death Eaters. To this day we don't know how we managed it but Neville, Luna and I threw counter hexes left and right without letting our attacker – Proudfoot – be injured. Some spells, we barely uttered out loud and none of us were trained in non-verbal spells to that extent. We disarmed them so well that Proudfoot was able to paralyse them and Apparate them to Azkaban straight away. It took us all but fifteen minutes. None of us had so much as a scratch on our skins.

See, the foundation to our Defensive spell-work was laid down by Harry and like I said, it was in his blood. He drilled Defense so much into us that it became a part of our instinct. To us, battle meant defending ourselves because that's what it meant to him – to protect. This fact has saved us many times over in our careers and battles that we all owe our lives to him a thousand times over."

She smiles to herself before looking up at us.

"Would anyone like to volunteer for a little demonstration?"

"If you'd allow me, Professor" Potter states matter-of-factly, standing up from his seat. "After all, we were both trained by the same person."

With that, the rest of the class clears away to the two sides of the classroom, chattering in excitement. Professor Chang waves her wand softly and the tables and chairs disappear. Chang and Potter take their Duelling stances.

"Block this stun as hard as you can"

With that Chang raises her wand and points it at Potter without uttering the incantation. As if on instinct, Potter throws his right arm with an Expelliarmus, reversing the direction of the Stun spell – which is obviously a Stupefy, going by its color. Surprised by his quick reaction, Chang throws a Protego shield which reverberates visibly with the impact of Potter's counter-hex and slowly begins to disintegrate.

Chang smiles cheekily before adding, "Thank Merlin you learnt from your father and not your mother. I'd have been killed if you had learnt from Ginny."

"I'd have been officially named _the favorite child_ " Potter adds with an equally cheeky grin and a knowing look passes between the two of them.

"All right class. I want you all to grab a partner and start practicing. You're only allowed Paralysis hexes on the offensive – nothing too aggressive, please. I'll come around to see if you're doing all right."

I scramble towards the far wall, the paper grasshopper still crumpled in my hand. I take my chance to read it while the others partner up and find their respective places.

 _Hogsmede. This weekend. Supply hunt for the party. Wanna join?_

 _P.S: Don't worry. This is not me being creepy about asking you out._

 _From,_

 _The Hottest Guy in the class_

My eyes automatically scan the room and land on Potter. To my dismay, Freddy is staring at me with the biggest smirk I've ever seen plastered on his face. He motions me to wait for a moment as he scribbles something on another piece of parchment and charms it to turn into a Phoenix and fly over to me.

I snatch it, my eyes never leaving his cheeky face. I'm careful to open to bird aggressively, just to make a point.

 _Look who thinks Jamesie is the hottest guy in class. I wasn't wrong after all._

The bird reforms itself just as I finish reading and bursts into flames, tiny specs of ash falling on my shoes. I turn around to see Skyler's tall head bobbing around, probably looking for me. I squeeze through the crowd, trying to grab his robe and crash right into his back as he abruptly stops, having met with Freddy and Potter.

"Hello people we know!" Freddy greets as if seeing us for the first time. The bastard even throws a wink in my direction discretely.

"Can you stop disappearing, please? You're too short to be found in a class this populated." Skyler beams down at me, guiding me to stand next to Potter as he takes his position next to Freddy. I guess I can't be blamed if a hex accidentally hits Freddy in his ginormous head.

It goes without saying that I should be the evil attacker and Skyler the dutiful defender. I take my stance and without a warning, shoot a Petrificus Totalus at his chest which he blocks lazily with a shield charm. I almost have him with a follow up Stupefy when he surprises me by hitting me with a Levicorpus. As I'm lifted off the ground I shoot a Finite at myself and fall right on top of Potter.

While I struggle to get off of him, my hands and knees trying to find a solid surface to root my body on, I fall on him clumsily a couple more times before managing to get a grip. I'm panting like I've just been snogged and my hair is all over the place. I lift my eyes to see my palms resting flatly on his chest and my knees resting on his thighs. All my limbs can feel are the bulging muscles holding me up as if I weigh nothing. Our eyes meet and I see him looking at me strangely, as if he's not sure what the hell is going on. Not knowing what to do, I fall on my side just to get off his body.

"That was… spicy"

"Don't push it, Fred" I thunder dangerously, picking myself up from the ground.

"We are not going to get through the day without you falling off a few more times, are we?" Skyler asks in mock horror.

"Hey! Why'd you go and Levicorpus me you prat! What else was I gonna fall on?" I protest, dusting myself.

"The floor, maybe? Or is Jamesie harder?" Freddy quips in.

Without thinking I shoot a Petrificus Totalus at him.

"Mind giving us some privancy?" I ask Skyler innocently.

"I don't even wanna know" is all he says as he grabs Potter off the floor.

Skyler and Potter walk further away from me and start to duel. They look very competent and manly when they're at each other's throats. It's a pretty sight.

Forcing my eyes away from the visible flex under Potter's shirt, I pick up a quill lying on the floor nearby and start drawing on Freddy's face.

Needless to say, we're cleaning trophies now.

We've segregated the entire room into two: Trophies that belong to anyone he's related to and other. I'm obviously in charge of 'the Other' category, because I can't be trusted with something so precious.

"I don't deserve that kind of prejudice. What makes you think I'm irresponsible?" I grunt between my unnecessary attempts to clean the surface of the Quidditch shield I'm currently in the process of violating.

"Some of these trophies belong to a certain Potter whose very name was given to your current nemesis. You just might violate his memory and he's a war hero. He, his best friend, my dad and his twin shared the same spirit and three of them are dead now. They might stage a come-back and release all hell upon us if they see a Slytherin tarnishing their pride."

"Such overrated pride"

"Was it overrated when you were feeling Jamesie's muscles while lying promiscuously on top of him?"

I throw the wet towel at him (which I'm using to clean the shields) and he ducks it athletically. Damn these sporty boys.

"Touche. Speaking of which, I've been meaning to talk to you about something Lea"

"What?" I snap at him, resolving not to trust a word that comes out of his mouth.

"Would you consider trying out next year? For Quidditch I mean."

It takes me by surprise that I don't deny it immediately. I take my time finishing up the shield before turning around to answer him.

"I've been dreaming about flying ever since that night. When I close my eyes I see myself flying, playing and sometimes, escaping. But it's just too complicated. I still haven't told Skyler I flew. It's been too many days that it's going to be plain awkward now. I don't have a broom so if I say I want to try out Mrs. L will be overly excited and will end up buying me so many things… I can't let her do that. She's done enough for me as it is. I don't want to give her any reason to spend more money on me than she already has. Plus, half our grade hates me. My house isn't so hot about me either. I'm disliked, I'm hated. Everyone will probably make fun of me. Then there's Potter. I don't… I can't let him know that I went flying after what he said that time…"

Twiddling my thumbs, I look at him cautiously – afraid to see his reaction. He stares back at me intently, in shocked confusion. He gives me another minute of his stare before going back to cleaning. The rest of the evening passes with neither of us saying another word to each other. We part in silence.

I forget Skyler's warning about midnight so when cold fingers grasp my forearm, I fall over the bed, screaming. Thankfully, the other three girls put Silencio charms around their bedposts for my benefit, as I'm prone to having nightmares on a regular basis. Cursing the profanity of my imagination (Because, who's gonna wanna touch me at this hour?) I get off the floor and clamber on to the bed. As I angrily tuck myself in my covers, I see a feeble looking House Elf standing on the other side of the bed.

"Sorry if I troubled you miss" the Elf pleads in a high pitched tone which can only be called girly. "I tried to wake you up but you did not seem to want to listen to my voice." Well damn. That's the most articulate House Elf I've ever seen. She even enunciates better than me.

"That's all right…" I struggle to find a way to ask for her name.

"Flower. My name is Flower, miss. I was named by Master James." She puffs her chest out as she says this. Her eyes expand to the size of saucepans with glittering pride.

"That's a very pretty name, Flower." I offer.

"Thank you Miss Leanna. I was told to give you these and leave before you can protest."

With that she Disapparates, leaving a large box at the foot of my bed.

Remembering what Skyler said about a midnight surprise, I hop down, half terrified and half excited. I tear the seals open unceremoniously with my bare hands. There's a huge empty bird cage, a large envelope and a couple of packages lying around at the foot of the box. Confused, I take the letter inside the envelope out. There are two parchments inside – one large and one small. I unfold the smaller one first.

 _Lea,_

 _The bird is from Mum. You'll figure out who the rest of it is from as you unwrap them. I won't be seeing you until the party so follow the map please and do not deviate from the instructions._

 _Yours Truly_

Confused, I unfold the larger parchment. There's a sketched map on one side and tiny inscriptions on the other. I squint in my wand-light to read what's written.

 _Once you're here, face the wall, close your eyes and think "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" three times._

It's late and I want to open up the rest. So I hastily throw the letter on my bed thinking I'll solve the riddle later and grab the tag that's tied to the bird's nest.

 _Baby girl_

 _Look out the window_

 _Mum_

Every time Mrs. L called herself my mum, I tear up like a baby. Wiping my eyes furiously, I run to the window. Strangely enough it's open. I move away the curtains to take a peek outside. I gasp slightly in awe as I take in the creature resting on top of the window sill. It's a tiny Owl, the size of a Bludger. It's stout and fluffy, with yellow eyes and beak. It's brown in color up to the shoulders and wings and the rest is white, with brown and white spots alternatively spread all over. The bird is so chubby looking and cute that I instinctively pick it up and cuddle.

And it nips me on the chest and flies away.

I'm thrown backwards by the attack but manage to retain my balance. The ruddy little thing is sharp! I feel like I've been partially stabbed in the chest. Luckily it didn't cut too deep because of the two sweaters I'm wearing.

Cursing and musing about its cuteness all at the same time, I go back to the box.

The second package is a wooden box neatly tied with a black bow. I sit on the carpet by the box and gently undo the tie. There are two other boxes within this one, a tiny booklet and a baby-blue envelope. I pick up the book and run my hands over the hard cover. It has a white background with a bird similar to the one that just attacked me drawn in the middle. The title reads, "The Northern Pygmy Owl".

Depend on Mrs. L to go over and above when buying me something. Chuckling to myself, I take the letter out of the blue envelope.

 _Baby girl,_

 _This one's called a Northern Pygmy Owl. It's still in its pre-adolescent age so might be a bit nippy. It's a rare bird, I tell you. But please don't go all Leanna on it. It might look tiny but it's a predator. Please don't let something I buy you kill you!_

 _Did you see the bird yet? It's super cute isn't it? So tiny and fluffy and yet so dangerous! Just like you. That's why I went to all that trouble to actually Floo to Luna to find out if there's an Owl that suits your temperaments. I'm so glad I did because, LOOK AT IT! IT'S SO YOU!_

 _I bought a girl bird because, well, you need some girl pearls in your life._

 _Now remember. That's a predator so you'll have to assert dominance to get along with it. There's no way around it. I've packed two other boxes with this. One has the medicine for when it nips you and the other has special treats for it. You can't give it usual Owl treats, being a carnivore and all._

 _I was feeling so special about my little gift until Sky told me that they're all sending you stuff with my lot. The nerves on that boy! I need to know that I gave you the best gift. I just do. So please write back. I'm so excited to see that tiny little thing bring me a letter!_

 _Love you always,_

 _Mum_

I feel a weird sensation take over my chest. It's weird in a good way. I let it engulf me and bask in it for a while. This is the first time I've ever let either of them buy me anything. It felt… nice, in an odd sense. It felt good.

Keeping the box aside gratefully, I apply the medicine before I pick up another parcel from within the gift box. This one is wrapped in bright pink – very disorderly. I yank the wrapper open to find a red color scarf. Confused, I stretch out the cloth and a mirror falls on my lap. It's a triangular mirror with jagged ends, as if it was broken off a larger mirror. There's a parchment attached to the underside of the mirror.

 _Say my name and I'll appear_

 _From_

 _The hottest guy in class_

I roll my eyes and say "Freddy" sternly. A pair of hazel eyes appear in the mirror and I almost drop it.

"Lea! So you think I'm the hottest guy in class?"

"Stuff it Freddy" I threaten but add softly, "Thanks"

"Anytime. It's a family heirloom so if you're breaking up with me you'll have to return it."

I roll my eyes darkly, "I'll keep that in mind. Now I'm gonna go back to gift unwrapping."

Without waiting for a response, I lay the mirror in the box and pick up the last gift.

I tear open the green velvet box, knowing who it's from. The insides are cushioned in silver, a silver bracelet placed in the middle of it. There are no accessories attached, just the chain. With it came a note.

 _Lea_

 _This is a tradition. We draw names from a lot-system and buy a gift for whoever we draw. We exchange the gifts during whatever family event we have. It's called "Merlin's Secret". The gift we get is supposed to be able to fit on the bracelet, magically or otherwise. We all have one._

 _Wear this day after tomorrow. James will come around with the lots before Transfiguration._

 _Yours Truly_

With my heart full and my mind at peace, I just manage to crawl into bed before falling into a dreamless sleep for the first time in my life.

 _ **Hi all,**_

 _ **Thank you so much for reading! Also, I really appreciate all the reviews and the ratings. You guys are swell! I will get around to responding soon. I really wanted to get this chapter out soon**_ __

 _ **Any letter that is from 'Yours Truly' is from Skyler.**_

 _ **If you're confused about whom to root for, Freddy, James or Skyler – don't worry. The confusion is intentional :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

I'm sitting alone in my seat because Skyler ditched me again to sit with Potter to "Party Plan." It's become a Transfiguration tradition now. I should say though, that I do not care for this nonsense. Freddy hasn't showed up yet either which means I'm sitting all alone in this cruel world with no friends or family or-

"Self-pitying much?" Freddy slams his backpack a little too hard on the table for my liking.

"Where the hell were you? I thought I was abandoned for the rest of all eternity!"

He smiles bleakly at me but doesn't respond. He takes his time to unpack his bag before inching closer to whisper in my ear.

"Mind accompanying me to the Owlery after class?"

This ominous nature of his does not suit him but being as insecure as I am about territories and ownership, I don't push the matter.

"Sure. Why not."

"You could sound a bit more excited about gallivanting with me." He sounds genuinely hurt.

"I would if you would. Are you all right?"

"Me?" He scoffs, which makes me feel uneasy immediately. "All right is an understatement."

I fall silent. I know there's something terribly wrong but there's nothing I can say to offer comfort without crossing the line – which I'm sure he wouldn't appreciate, seeing as how we only became friends a couple days ago. So I do the only logical thing. I sulk in silence.

I vaguely hear Professor McGonagall taking us through the process of transfiguring into our chosen Animagus form and what we have to be doing in our own time to prep for it. I hear her asking us to fill in the form that'll be circulated during class and I can feel her eyes shift in my direction a couple of times. But all I can do is feel. I feel hurt, guilt and another weird one that I'm unfamiliar with. I spend the entire lesson trying to match these feelings to an incident but manage to come up with peanuts.

"I'll see you at the Owlery in ten" Freddy whispers in my ear before disappearing.

I look up to find the class empty. I turn around in time to see Freddy's receding back vanish behind the door. All of these random feelings I've been trying to make sense of, disappear with him.

My head snaps back to the head of the class where Professor McGonagall is currently staring at me with a curious expression on her face. I begin to notice that my face is wet with tears I've shed unknowingly.

"I suggest you see me in my office right after your meeting with Mr. Weasley at the Owlery"

Nodding at her in a daze, I pack my bag and leave the class.

Once I leave the class, all sanity returns to my tiny head and I hyperventilate a little. What was that? What is happening to me? It all started with Freddy's remark about being all right and ended when he left. It has to be something to do with him. Was he trying out some sort of spell on me? Is that it?

I muse over all the possibilities on my way to the Owlery. I realise, to my utmost confusion, that I am not angry at Freddy, even if he was trying out a spell on me. I am more curious than anything else. I climb the stairs in my manically hurried state and almost trip over a couple times. Cursing my boldness for thinking about Quidditch when I can't even run up the stairs without tripping over, I clamber on to the Owlery and walk around looking for him.

Freddy is at the farthest corner, staring out through the openings in the ancient walls. I sneak behind him without making a sound – simply because I don't know what to say.

"I Owled dad after Detention last night" he says somberly without turning around, "Some things you said didn't make sense. So I asked him if he knew anything about you."

I feel myself freeze in fear. He turns around, his hands in his pocket, his face devoid of all emotion. Knowing I've been cast away by him as well after finding out the truth about me, I backtrack - my body shivering from head to toes and tears pouring down my face. As I prepare to turn around and run, he grabs my wrist and pulls me closer.

"Is it true? Were you abandoned twice?"

Unable to tear my eyes away from his face, I nod, now crying openly. Fred's face is as hard as stone.

"And Aunt Hannah took you in?"

I nod again. Freddy releases a long breath and his face contorts into that of utter sadness.

"And here I am always feeling like a ghost because all my dad tries to see is his dead brother every time he looks at me. That's just half of it" He chuckles uneasily. "The rest of the time I feel second rated because James is the best at everything _and_ the favourite of absolutely everyone – being the _reincarnation_ of a war hero and all."

My shoulders slump at the force of my sobs and I cover my mouth in case my thoughts spill out. My knees turn to jelly but Fred catches me before I fall, hugging me tightly and burying his face in my hair. I mumble into my hand, unable to control my thoughts anymore. Still hugging me tightly, Freddy forcefully pulls my hand away from my mouth.

"Don't hold it back. Tell me."

He doesn't have to tell me twice, given the state I'm in.

"P-please don't… Don't leave me because of w-what they did. I'm not evil. P-please don-"

"You can be really thick sometimes, you know?" He says, chuckling. "Say Lea, do you know what Remus Lupin was?"

"H-he was a Werewolf?"

"And he was one of the best friends of both of James's Grandparents. James's dad is Lupin's son's godfather. He's practically James's half-brother. Not only is Teddy a bit wolfy" he smirks at an inside joke, "Let's not even get to his Metamorphmagus side. Hagrid has been the family friend for generations and he's part _giant_. Malfoy, the Death Eater who almost killed Dumbledore, is Uncle Neville's work buddy now. To top it all, half my uncles and both my grandparents have committed murder during the war. James's grandparents too. Uncle Bill still has weird half-transformations during every full moon and Uncle Charlie was half burnt by one of Hagrid's pet dragons. Oh and, Voldemort has lived in both of James's parents' heads _and_ Aunt Fleur is part Veela.

See, we are a Pureblood family that has a perfect record of mixing ourselves with the common outcasts. We've mixed ourselves with Muggle-borns, half-bloods, giants, veelas and even ex-death eaters. I mean look at Uncle Neville. He's practically an assassin.

Tell me again. What's your crime?"

My sobs have stopped completely but I'm still clutching on to his shirt as if letting go would mean losing him. All I can do is listen and let my heart be filled with his words – and I'm content to do just that.

"Oh I almost forgot the worst. My mum used to date my dad's twin."

"WHAT?" I pull away from him in surprise.

"Yeah" he laughs back, "Pretty messed up, aren't we?"

My brows furrow in concentration as realization hits me.

"Freddy… Were you feeling guilty about something during transfiguration today?"

"Yes, about being such a jealous prat about James and resenting my dad, when you're going through all of this."

"It's not your fault, Fred."

"Yes but we made it worse, didn't we? We constantly bullied you all because you took Skyler away from us and we even made you lose faith in your own physical prowess. I'd say that's pretty low of us."

I start to panic again when he says "us"

"Freddy you must promise me you'll _never_ ever tell Potter anything about this. Ever. Please."

He purse his lips considering my request. After giving it one too many seconds of thought, he concedes.

"All right. But if it ever gets to a point where it's absolutely needed, I will."

"All right. I'll give you that."

He beams at me for a minute before his face falls dramatically, giving me another anxiety attack.

"Lea there's more. My dad told me more about your parents."

"Really? Which ones?" I sneer. Now that my secret is exposed and we've had the most emotional moment I've ever had, I can be myself around him.

"Timothy and Seraya Selwyn are on the run from the Ministry – from Uncle Neville to be exact. Seraya Selwyn was Seraya Azam before she got married. Do you know anything about the Azam family?"

All I can do is shake my head, glaring at him with eyes the size of saucepans.

"We'll leave that out for now" he states matter-of-factly, tousling my hair. "Now, on to business" he slings his backpack forward and picks up a tiny cloth pouch. "Put your hand in and wait until something attaches itself to your pinkie"

"There's barely any space in that pouch and I'm definitely not walking into such an obvious prank."

"It's not a prank. It's the draw for Merlin's Secret."

"Oh. I thought Potter was supposed to do this."

"Disappointed?" His smirk is getting worse by the day.

"Greatly"

It takes about fifteen seconds for a paper-like substance to attach itself around my pinkie finger. I gently pull my hand out. There's a Gryffindor-red paper ribbon wrapped around my pinkie. Hanging from it is a gold color tag.

Of course I would draw Potter.

I pause for a full minute at the gargoyles trying to gather my thoughts before realizing that I don't know the password.

"I-"

"It's Dumbledore's socks"

I turn my head around in time to see Potter's receding back. It's so difficult to read that boy, I tell you. One minute he hates me, another he helps me and another I'm lying on his pecks while my knees are digging into the sinews of his thighs-

I catch myself mentally before I can go any further. I really _really_ need to get some closure on that moment. It's going to get me in a bad way if I don't.

Making a mental note to actually confront this matter later without throwing it under the rug like I always do, I mutter the password and climb the stairs.

I gasp loudly as I enter the Headmistress's office. It's already packed with too many people than I care to have around me when I'm being confronted. Sitting at her table are Mrs. L and Skyler while Mr. L stands by the window looking out. At the sound of my gasp, they all turn around. Mrs. L runs to me and engulfs me in a hug.

"I'm going to properly respond to your letter, through your Owl. So let's not talk about any of that now, all right? I'll wait. It's our first correspondence, you know?" She states excitedly, pulling back from the hug. She slings one arm around my shoulders and guides me to her seat. I notice that Mr. L has turned away from us to stare out the window.

I look at Skyler for any indication of what's going on. He shrugs nonchalantly but he seems to be very stiff. His arms are crossed across his chest and his left foot is bobbing up and down constantly, as it usually does when he's angry. I feel a wave of fear wash over me and I start to shake visibly. Mrs. L puts her arm over my shoulders to stop the shaking. Surprisingly, it works.

"I told your parents what happened during our lesson today. Your condition seems to be a surprise to both of them, save Skyler."

He grits his teeth in response, gripping the arms of the chair.

"Con-condition? Am I sick?" I mutter in fear.

"If anyone else was in your shoes right now I'd call it a gift. But because we love you as much as we do, I'm going to call it a condition. You seem to have high levels of Empathy, which borders on the psychic." Mrs. L is careful to enunciate each word clearly as if explaining how time works to a little child.

My face splits into that of realization and relief.

"For how long did you know about this?" Professor asks, reading my face.

"For about half an hour. I asked Freddy if he was feeling guilty, which was what I felt during class and he said he was."

I can see Skyler ball his fists from the corner of my eyes.

"There are two ways we can go about this" Mrs. L starts, moving away from my chair to lean on the Professor's table - which is a bold move in my opinion, all things considered. I look over at the Professor in question who I'm sure is pretending to not notice as she sits in her designated seat, because she's staring at me with added intensity. "I can treat you as it's my specialty anyway but since we have a personal relationship my professionalism might take a hit. The conflict of interest here might have severe repercussions. I really don't want to screw up your treatment that way. So we can consult Michael Corner who's the head of my Department."

"Or" Professor McGonagall adds softly, "you can let Molly help you. She's an expert when it comes to such matters."

"Molly?" I croak softly.

"Grandma Molly is Fred and James's grandma" Skyler speaks for the first time since I entered the room.

"She lives in Hogsmede now with Professor Weasley to make it easier for the Professor to travel each day." Professor McGonagall offers kindly. "Should you accept this alternative, I'll speak to her myself and come to an arrangement."

I look from Mrs. L to Skyler, not knowing what my decision should be when Mr. L walks up to my seat and kneels at my feet.

"You have _three_ choices here baby, remember that. You can let mum talk to Michael or you can let Professor talk to Grandma Molly. _Or_ " he puts more emphasis to the word, "you can choose to keep it. You can choose to call it a gift."

"What would you do?" I ask him eagerly.

"I would call it a gift but I would still see Grandma Molly. There will be instances when you'll need to block it out so it'll be good to learn how to control it. It is a tremendous gift. A part of who you are. I wouldn't want to lose it."

I stare at him blankly for a full minute.

"Are you hunting them down?"

Mr. L must be really good with this emotional business because he doesn't bat an eyelid. Neither does he ask me who I'm talking about or how I know.

"Yes and no. I caught Timothy Selwyn last night."

I'm surprised to learn that I don't feel any remorse towards him or my biological father.

"What would have happened to me if I was caught with him?"

"You would have been a permanent resident of St. Mungo's until your Healers testify that your mental condition isn't harmful or suggestive. But I should tell you that the Ministry and the wizarding community at large are too paranoid now to show any leniency. They'd probably transfer you to Azkaban when you come of age."

"Is that why?"

He doesn't ask what I mean.

"Yes and no. They've been on the run ever since the fall of the Death Eaters. You were conceived on the road, obviously. But they didn't know your mother was pregnant until five months had gone by"

"So they had no choice but to have me." It is not a question.

"What you have to remember is that they're death eaters. It would have been too late for the potion but there are many dark spells which would have done the trick. But they didn't. They wanted to have you in the hope that they can someday be with you."

"How do you know for sure?" The skepticism is clear in my voice.

"The first thing your father asked me when I walked in to the interrogation room after we took him to the Ministry was whether I know of a child called Selwyn - whether Hogwarts had decided to take you in or whether you were left in the Muggle world to blow up with your own magic. He wailed in relief when I told him you're my daughter. He wanted to know what your name is and what you look like. I told him as much as I could. He wanted me to give you this."

He withdraws a packed envelope from his pocket and leaves it gently in my hand.

"It was a good thing I was at home when Professor McGonagall's patronus found Hannah. I was going to hold on to this until I told you who your parents are myself. But George wrote to me saying he had to tell Freddy about it. So I brought it along just in case."

The pause is barely felt as he continues.

"I know the contents of the letter. I screened it myself to make sure there's no funny business. I had to read it too, for your safety. Is that all right with you?"

All I can do is nod, staring at the letter that's weighing heavily on my open palms.

"He's asked you to make a choice, with good reason. Write back to me after you've read it, will you?"

I nod again.

"All right. Off you go." He says jovially, kissing my forehead.

"One last thing" Mrs. L quips in. "Sky, did you know about her condition? Is that why you've been keeping her away from others?"

His silence is enough to tell us that Mrs. L's guess is correct.

"I think we should take this one day at a time, wouldn't you agree Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall offers to which I'm very grateful. Mr. L nods in apprehension and gets up, moving back to his spot by the window.

"Should you choose to, you can take the rest of the day off. I believe you only have Charms? I'll talk to Professor Flitwick myself. If you need a companion, you can take one with you but starting tomorrow, this will all be in the past. You will be treated as equally as the rest of the school henceforth."

"Thank you, Professor McGonagall." I respond hurriedly, getting off my seat.

With only a sideward glance at Skyler, I rush out. Mr. L was right. I need to confront this on my own.

I sit on the railing at the Astronomy Tower and cast a disillusionment charm on myself, in case anyone happens to wander this way in the middle of a school day. I take a deep breath before tearing the envelope open with shaky hands. The parchment is about three feet long and bent seven times to fit in the envelope. I look over the letter and memorize his tiny elongated handwriting before I start reading its contents.

 _My dearest Leanna,_

 _If you've started reading without burning this letter then I'm hopeful. You've decided to listen to me. I have no right to ask for forgiveness or expect anything in return but I'm willing to give you everything that's due from me._

 _Until you came into your mother's womb she was the world to me, the love of my life. She was always a different person altogether, as if she descended to earth from another dimension itself- which might have very well been the case._

 _Seraya Azam is from ancient nobility, all the way from Egypt. Her skin is tan, her eyes and hair black (I hear you've inherited these traits). She's tall and strong, the epitome of beauty. I met her on one of the worst possible nights - on the night of her acceptance ceremony._

 _The Azam family is complex, to say the least. They are the most prominent pure-bloods in their region and most probably the whole world. Their bloodline stretches back to four thousand BC. It is believed that they hold the original of all things magical._

 _Each member of the Azam family is born with innate abilities: Wandless magic and Legilimens. The family has intermarried for as long as they know of their ancestry just to hold on to these two powers. But your mother wasn't born like the rest of them. She was terrible at Legilimens and even worse at Occlumency. Her wandless magic was terrific - even better than her father who was known to be a prodigy since childhood - but her Legilimens brought her down greatly. She was the black sheep from the time she could walk because not only was she "half an Azam" but she was born with something else – High levels of empathy._

 _She was able to feel exactly what someone she was close to was feeling. Once she attaches herself to someone on an emotional level there was nothing the other could do to hide how they felt. You won't believe how inconvenient this got at times._

 _The night I met her was her acceptance ceremony. Until an Azam turns sixteen they're not given the Azam name. Instead they were called Azelam. To gain the Azam name one has to survive one full night in the desert without the help of a wand (which the Azams never used anyway) or anything magical - potions, tools etc. That's just half of the challenge. Come morning, the contender should be the only one left alive in the desert - unharmed and unscratched. For this purpose the Azams would throw in death row prisoners (or slaves during the times they had slavery) or any abducted people (to match a total headcount of thirty three as per their tradition – something to do with Astrology if I remember correctly) into certain parts of the desert along with the contender._

 _I happened to be visiting Egypt with one of my classmates from Durmstrang (All the Selwyn boys have gone to Durmstrang since Grindelwald's movement in Austria. Alberta Selwyn - a headstrong and powerful woman who was also my great-great-great-grandmother - was the warden of Nurmengard Prison) when we were captured and thrown into the desert on our last night there. Luckily - as we thought at that time - we were given our wands to survive. Seraya walked the desert that night with a sand storm at her heels. She is not a woman who is able to kill in cold blood given her emotional status but she is dead powerful as you can imagine. My friend and I put up a good fight. She incinerated him by just looking at him. I on the other hand was too mesmerized by her beauty and power to lift my wand against her when she approached me. For that she spared me, and for that she was branded and exiled. I was to be executed as well but she rescued me - killing all of the prison guards - and we apparated to the Selwyn mansion. We were married within a year._

 _It was easy to hide her identity from everyone as most English wizards and witches were oblivious to the existence of the Azams. Her power helped greatly as well. That is, until Barty Crouch Jr. showed up at our doorstep._

 _At the time, we were home for our vacation. She and I both worked as Dragon tamers in Ukraine and usually got to take a month off each year. On our first night back this guy came in knocking - greatly distressed. He spoke about his father, how he'd been imprisoned by his own father for half his life and how the Dark Lord liberated him. He said he knew who Seraya is and that the only reason we were unable to have children despite trying for so long was a part of the Azam exile - that anyone who gets exiled from the Azam family is under a spell to never be able to reproduce outside the family. He said the Dark Lord would liberate us too. He said he'll give us a week to think about it._

 _He never came back and we were beginning to lose hope. We had informed Ukraine that we would be taking an extra week off as we waited for him. To our utmost surprise, two weeks after his visit, the Dark Lord himself visited us._

 _He said the Crouch guy was dead but that it was the Dark Lord himself who had sent him our way. He swore to fix our issue once we show our loyalty to his cause. We were then sent off to win over different creatures to his side - Werewolves, Free Dragon Lords, Giants – and some creatures you've never even read about in books._

 _The Dark Lord fell three years later while we were in Amazon - on the hunt for another rare species for his cause. We've been on the run ever since. We had you on the run too but by then it was too late. We had to keep running. It was my idea to leave you behind in capable hands. I knew of the orphanage and I told her you'll be well protected. I almost lost my life that day. She burnt the forest we were hiding in and almost got away from me - with you. But she just couldn't kill me or leave me behind to be found by hitwizards._

 _The next night, I stunned her in her sleep and stole you away. I left you on the church yard with a necklace. I never saw her after that night until yesterday when she found me. She set fire to everything and left me in a Protego bubble, tied up, for the hitwizards to find me. They weren't too far away anyway._

 _I'm so very sorry for everything we put you through. We should have waited until the hunt died down to have you but we didn't want to miss the chance - that's how much we wanted you._

 _Do you still have the necklace I left you? There's an invisible inscription at the back. A drop of blood should do the trick. There's a key inside the pendant. It's the key to our vault - the one we kept for you. There should be enough money to support you all your life – any which way you like._

 _You have a choice here Leanna, now that you know who you are. You come from two families who are attached to many Dark Arts titles and Dark wizards. Tomorrow morning, everyone will know my story but they'll know me by a different name. I will be called Theodore Burke. This was Longbottom's idea, purely to protect you. So you can either keep my name or discard it. I will understand if you choose to discard it._

 _Please understand this. You can't seek me out. You can't seek your mother out. The Longbottoms will give you the life we never could. Cherish it. Be who you want to be._

 _And for the love of Merlin, keep your emotions in check and don't ever try wandless magic._

 _With all the love I can give,_

 _Timothy Selwyn,_

 _Your father._

The moment I finish reading, the parchment sets itself ablaze.

For the first time in my life, I feel alive. A weird sense of serenity takes me over and I cry for hours openly - both out of joy and sadness - until my spirits realign itself to that of peace. I return to my dorm well past nine in the night.

Once in the dorm, I close the drapes around my four poster bed and charm it to be sealed. I then pull out parchments from under the bed and tear it to four parts. I hastily write on each parchment and my heart begins to lighten with its progress.

 _Dad,_

 _Can I keep my name and still call you Dad?_

 _I'm so sorry if I, in any way, showed any ungratefulness or resentment. All I've felt was abandoned all my life. I just didn't want you to ditch me too, you know? So I tried not to be a burden..._

 _Would you tell me how you and Malfoy became friends?_

 _With all my love,_

 _Lea_

Chuckling to myself, I seal the letter and move on to the next.

 _Hi Mum,_

 _Thank you so much for the gift. I absolutely love the creature. And the bird box is so pretty! I think I'm going to name her Azrael._

 _Thanks for the money. I'm going to Owl Ginny next and ask her to meet me tomorrow. I think I've got an idea of what to do with my new found fortune (I assume dad told you? If he hasn't, I give him permission to divulge my secret)._

 _Oh and, Azrael bit me before I saw your warning. Your medicine was a godsend. That little thing is savage!_

 _Mum, I've decided to go with Molly. Could you tell Professor McGonagall for me? I promise to start doing my own emotional work once I know how to._

 _Write back please._

 _With all my love,_

 _Lea_

I quickly write a note to Ginny asking her to meet me at the Three Broomsticks. I then write my last note for the night. I address it to Skyler on the envelope.

 _I understand_.

I find Azrael sitting outside my window. I tie the letters to her foot and crawl back to bed. For the second night running, I sleep dreamlessly.


	5. Chapter 5

Ginny is dutifully waiting for me at the Three Broomsticks at ten in the morning, when I arrive. She jumps up from her seat and engulfs me in a hug asking me how I am and drags me up the stairs to a small meeting room. She then applies multiple wards around the room and takes the seat at the head of the table.

"I assume you have a lot to tell me?"

This is why I love this woman. She considers every little detail I have to divulge to be of utmost importance.

"You don't know the half of it"

With that I enter into a monologue, starting with how Freddy and I became friends, my first flying experience and end up with the events of last night. She's the perfect audience for long and eventful stories. She 'ooh's and 'ah's in all the right places, encouraging me not to let slide any small detail. I'm careful to leave out all the Potter related details (even the bit about jinxing my broom in the first year. I told her I never thought I was sporty - which she bought without a doubt).

When I get to the part about last night, she becomes somber and a bit fearful - as if she knew about the capture without knowing who Theodore really is. She lets me finish the story and takes a full minute to reflect before speaking.

"Do you know what's going to happen to him?" She asks fearfully.

"If he gives up the others he'll get a life sentence but if he doesn't, he'll get the kiss"

I try to act cool but I don't fool her.

"You know there's only one other Death Eater out there, don't you?"

I gulp before I respond.

"My mother"

"Do you think he'll give her up?" She takes my hand in her as she asks.

"Never" I say proudly. "But I think given that he hasn't killed or tortured anyone, Dad will try to get him a life sentence" Ginny beams at me when I call Mr. L dad for the first time in her presence. "But, in the case that he's assigned the kiss, I want him to know I forgive him and that I'll treasure what he's given me all my life."

Her eyebrows knit in confusion. I pull the necklace out of my pocket and dangle it in front of her face.

"Dibs" she screams, pulling her wand out and grabbing my hand. Before I can protest, she makes a tiny incision on my forefinger.

I rub the bloodied finger at the back of the necklace. The gold surface turns into a moving picture of my biological parents cradling a new born me. My mother is the prettiest thing I've ever seen.

It only lasts for a minute. The surface changes to an inscription which reads 'in our own power we trust' before it clicks and incinerates, leaving a beautiful key in its place. It's a key made of glass with the head laced with diamonds. The core of the head is pyramid shaped. The tiny inscription on the pyramid reads "524" in a pink script.

"You have an underground vault" Ginny croaks looking at the key in adoration.

"Care to join me?" I ask cheekily.

"I'll hex you if you leave me out"

My vault is as big as my room at the Longbottoms'.

The four corners of the room are lined with gold bars while the rest of the floor is filled with gold coins, save a small path in the middle. Ginny and I take the path to walk the length of the room, memorizing each detail. The walls have tiny square compartments and each holds a different artifact - all made of gold. Some were merely tablets carrying ancient looking scripts.

No matter how many times I look around, there is a nagging sensation around my belly button which says I'm missing something. I politely ask the Goblin if we can have some privacy. He says he'll stay outside the door and locks us in.

"Something is missing, Ginny. We are missing something obvious. I can feel it."

She gives me a hard look and then walks to me roughly, pulling my hand out and cutting me again.

"What was that for?" I ask angrily.

"The wording on your necklace. Say it out loud while the blood falls on the floor."

I do as she says.

A stone turns at the farthest wall from the door. The stone is about two meters above ground. As it turns, a crystal makes its appearance. Ginny and I stare at it, not knowing what to do, when a light is emitted from the crystal on to the middle of the path. A mystified voice of a woman reverberates from within the crystal.

 _Azelam, stand in the light._

"What language is that?" Ginny asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm gonna say it's Egyptian because it just said 'Azelam, stand in the light' "

Ginny gasps slightly but walks towards me. Holding me from my forearm, she guide me to the light.

It's warm _and_ cold at the same time, as if a spirit is swimming inside my body. After what seemed like an hour has passed by, the sensation stops and the voice says,

 _You're a full Azam, but an impure one._

"What is it saying?" Ginny whispers in my ear.

"It just called me an impure but full Azam"

"Oh how rude!" Ginny exclaims. "But this means you have both the powers?" Her excitement is unmistakable.

"I should think so"

"Do you want to try on me?" Her grip on my forearm is overly painful now.

"Of course I do. But right now, I want to spend some money" I beam up at her excitedly.

"That's my girl" is all she says before we both get down on our knees. I stuff my pouch with gold coins as she counts them out loud.

We both step out of my vault with the attitude of two responsible adults about to spend five thousand galleons.

Ginny Weasley is not just a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies. She's the founder and owner of Weasticks - The Broomstick manufacturer that produces one specific brand - the Fredlore. She released the first ever Fredlore in the year two thousand - two years after the Battle of Hogwarts. This particular model was called Fredlore Twenty Two as Fred Weasley would have been Twenty Two that year.

The latest model according to her is the Fredlore Thirty Nine. She goes on to explain how she makes her models each year while we walk down to the Weastick main branch at Diagon Alley.

"It's not a good broom if it isn't position specific, and since I only have one brand, I address the improvements of one position per year. Take last year's model for instance - Fredlore Thirty Eight. It wasn't a huge seller because it's Seeker specific. The Seeker segment is small - even smaller than the Keeper segment as the skill is rare. But because my broom superseded both the Nimbus Two Thousand Twenty Six and Firebolt Twenty Four, I was able to charge more. The trick with the Seeker Broom is to make its pickup time shorter and turnaround speed faster. The Beater broom on the other hand is a different science altogether. The momentum of the broom should add more power to the hit. It's not just adjusting the dimensions of the broom you know? You have to get the spell work right."

"You couldn't sound smugger"

"Believe me, I can" she states, nudging me on the elbow. "So tell me, which position are you planning on trying out for?"

I think about it for a minute, "I honestly don't know."

"Luckily for you, we have a mini pitch under my store."

I don't believe her for a second.

I was wrong.

The lift in her store is divided into specific positions. As the bulletin board on the lift says;

B - Pitch

G - Chasers

1 - Beaters

2 - Keepers

3 - Seekers

4 - Lounge for restless parents, angry siblings and resentful lovers

Of course her assessment of the pitch was underrated. It isn't a mini Pitch. It's a fucking stadium.

As you enter the basement, there are two large wooden doors. There's a "P" carved above the Weasley crest on one door and "T" carved the same way on another. The P stands for "Pitch" and T for "Try outs."

We enter the door marked with a "T"

The room is filled with darkness with only a spec of light at what I imagine to be the center. There's a white marble pedestal. On this pedestal is what seems to be a Pensieve.

We walk to the Pensieve quietly while I scan the room. There's no telling where the corners of the room are. Everything is engulfed in darkness.

The Pensieve looking object is not a Pensieve at all. It is a form that anyone who uses the room must fill out beforehand. The words are written on a watery substance, floating over the circularPesieve in an ominous manner. The main line reads "Choose a simulation" in white italic script. Four choices are given below that, each choice written in black on white rectangles. The choices were School, Leagues, World Cup and Specific Professional Teams. Ginny taps on School and another array of choices pop up. I'm only able to read Hogwarts, Durmstrang, Beauxbatons, Castelobuxo and Koldovstoretz before she taps on Hogwarts.

The next choice is to pick houses and she taps on Slytherin and Gryffindor with a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

The room immediately transforms to the Quidditch Pitch at Hogwarts. Twelve others appear on the pitch in addition to the two of us - dressed in Gryffindor and Slytherin robes. The simulation is so real that the Staff arena in the pavilion actually has McGonagall and Slughorn among the other professors. The rest of the stands are filled with students supporting the two respective houses. Ginny summons two brooms and hands me one while we step into the simulation. Madam Hooch releases the Quaffle.

We spend a full hour in there, alternating between positions to see what I'm good at. When I play Chaser, she plays Keeper. When I play Seeker, she plays Beater and vice versa. I manage to score three out of ten when I play Chaser and only manage to block four out of nine when I play keeper. What we realized at the end of the hour is that I'm able to chase the snitch at a high speed while dodging Bludger attacks and that my beating power is pretty high and spot on.

I know I'll be a really good Seeker but throwing heavy balls around at people is more fun. I tell Ginny this.

"You know, I knew you'd choose to be a Beater from the beginning."

I grin at her cheekily.

"Can you tell me what Skyler is good at? I've never seen any of them play."

She gasps in mock horror. "You need to know about the family before you can even say Quidditch!"

She opens the door and we step into the elevator. She presses "1" and we step out to the Beater section. We make a beeline towards the accessories section and I start trying on the gloves while she talks.

"When we get together, first the mums and dads play. Then we let the babies mess around. There are always two fixed teams - Teddy, Josh, James, Fred, Lou, Lily and Hugo are on one team while Vic, Dom, Lucy, Chiara, Sky, Lorcan and Al are on the other. Rose, Molly and Lysander usually sit and read or watch because they're not that into sports."

"Who are Josh and Chiara?"

"Who is Josh? Only the most charming boy on the planet!" She exclaims, looking at me strangely. "Are you telling me you've never seen him? He's about a year older than you."

"I don't know much people outside our grade to be honest" I say guiltily. "Who are the they anyway?"

"Josh Wood is the only child of Oliver Wood and a Veela super model. Imagine that combo – Oliver was already good looking on his own. Chiara Thomas-Finnigan is Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan's daughter" my forehead crumples in confusion. "She's the surrogate child of Dean and Luna. Luna offered to be the surrogate mother. She's really nice and selfless like that." Ginny explains, beaming fondly. "Lorcan and Lysander are hers and Rolf's own"

"So anyway" she adds, coming back to the point. "In Sky's team he's usually a Chaser along with Vic and Lorcan. Dom and Chiara are the beaters. Al and Lily are always the seekers" she states proudly, her chest a bit too puffed than necessary. "And between you and me" she whispers, inching closer, "My baby girl is the best"

"Competitive much? The other one's your child too in case you didn't notice" I chuckle.

"He's all Harry but she's all me"

By now I've chosen a pair of gloves, arm pads, knee pads, boots and a bat. While I put them on, Ginny picks a Fredlore Thirty Nine from a walk in closet at the back and we walk out of the floor and into the elevator. This time we go through the other door at the basement - the one marked with a "P".

The Pitch is as big as the Pitch at Hogwarts. The reason she calls it a mini Pitch is because the pavilion is not as big as that of a professional stadium.

I fly for over fifteen minutes until I'm familiar with the gear. I muse over the fact that this broom is no different to Fred's broom until I remember he's also related to her. The entire family probably buys from her.

I mount and walk back to her, removing the gear carefully.

"I would give you a discount if I did that kind of thing but I'd have been bankrupt given the size of my family if I was that stupid. Sorry my love. That'll cost you a thousand and a half." She sounds genuinely upset that she can't do more.

"Can you give me another similar set for Skyler? Oh and" I hesitate, trying not to blush. "Can you tell me what James likes but doesn't have? I drew his name for Merlin's Secret"

She deadpan stares at me square on the face in all seriousness as she responds.

"A girlfriend"

With two thousand galleons in hand, we walk into Greengrass Designs, run by Astoria and Daphne Greengrass. We head straight to the Muggle section as the theme of the party is "What you'd look like if you were a Muggle." I honestly don't think these Weasley folk know what a party theme is, but I do have to admit that it's kind of fun.

I spend the fifty galleons Mum sent throughout Skyler here to buy ripped jeans and a tie up top. Ginny smirks as I walk out of the fit on room. I check myself out in the mirror and smirk to myself. The jeans fit perfectly around my hip accentuating the curves. The red sleeveless tie up top only falls down to my abs, showing off my stomach and belly button. My hair is in a high pony tail which seems to be fitting.

"You either need ankle boots or stiletto pumps to go with those" Ginny comments, coming to stand behind me.

"Think I'm gonna go with ankle boots"

"That's on me"

I protest all the way to the cashier and all the way out but she wouldn't bat an eye lid in my direction. I concede in the end seeing as how she's already bought it and everything. We stop in front of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes and reassess our situation before proceeding further.

"It's already two on the afternoon and I'm starving. Do you want to grab a bite before we proceed?"

"Proceed?" She gasps in excitement. "We have more shopping to do?"

"Of course. I've already bought Skyler's gift. Now all that's left are Mum's and Dad's gifts along with Freddy and James's."

"I think the best thing to do here is to try and shop for everyone at George's." Ginny states seriously.

"You're the boss" I say, walking in to the store.

Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes is a mall now. There are four stories - Beauty products, recreational products, magical artifacts and other. I pick up a watch for dad from the artifact section. This watch functions as an area scanner. One pull of the twister will give you a full scan of a thousand kilometers. The screen gives so much of details – in a pop-up mechanism where the details pop out of the screen while you study the are scan - as to how many trees and people there are and what kind of magical or muggle weapons or tool are in the area. A downward pull of the twister gives the exact location of five selected people at any time.

I choose a pair of hoop earrings for mum from the beauty products section. This pair has an extendable charm embedded. She can store up to five hundred medicinal pouches in it. The pouches come alongside the earrings, each pouch not bigger than a finger nail. These pouches also have extendable charms in them.

For Freddy I got light green contacts to go with his ginger hair and tan skin (he's way tanner than I am). Once activated, these contacts can see through buildings, walls, shields and manipulative charms. If he wishes to, he can look through a wall as thick as one meter and if he looks at someone who's being Imperiused, a green hue will appear around said person.

Apparently Fred has been saving up to buy these in this exact color, according to his mother. I feel pretty good about myself right now.

James turned out to be the difficult one to shop for. I walk around the store for a full half hour and come up with nothing. So I stop in the charms section and think to myself "What would James want" over and over again when a tiny silver pouch flies at me, landing flat on my face. I tear it off of my face and read the tag, an uneasy feeling bubbling in my gut. The tag read;

 _Veritaserum dust. Flick some on your partner's face and find out if they're cheating on you or not!_

Disgusted and amused at the same time, I try the same thing again, but this time for Ginny. I think over and over about what she would want when a small glass flies over to me. Without letting it break on my face, I catch it and read the tag.

 _Turn into a Veela for one whole night_

Grinning to myself, I stuff the vial in my hand-cart and walk over to the cashier.

Ginny is helping Fred's mum with the receipts when I walk over. She bids her friend farewell and we walk out the store, famished. We have a late lunch at the Three Broomsticks, finishing the last of my money (save the two hundred I kept safely aside for emergencies). Ginny drops me off at Hogwarts at five in the evening, just in time for me to get ready for the party.

Before getting ready for the Bunk Night, I send Azrael over to Mum and Dad with their gifts. I ask dad to tell our mutual friend that I was called Impure by a crystal, hoping that he would get my meaning. By the time I shower, magically wax my body, dress and charm my hair to fall down to my hips dead straight, Azrael shows up with a response. It's a thank you note from both mum and dad with a promise to properly respond to my earlier correspondence. I quickly throw Skyler's and Fred's gifts in two disposable bags (tiny ones with extendable charms. How else am I going to send over Skyler's broom with an owl?) and send them over with a note saying, "Just because I'm fabulous." I then apply the little bit of make-up I own (Tan compact over baby cream over the face, eye liner on the bottom lining and Matt-Pink lipstick) before getting into my boots.

I then Transfigure James's gift with the description tag itself into a tiny gold color Quaffle. Immensely proud of my spell-work, I quickly dig out the bracelet Skyler asked me to wear and leave for the party by Seven.

I was obviously wrong in thinking that there will barely be anyone there at seven since the party was supposed to start at six. The Weasleys function differently, it seems. Big surprise.

I'm musing at the existence of the Room of Requirement and the way you must enter when Freddy finds me loitering at the door.

"You are honestly the best thing that ever happened to me" he whispers in wonder, his eyes the size of saucepans and his pupils barely visible. He starts to gently shake my shoulders in his dazed state. "That is probably the best and most thoughtful gift-

Is all Freddy gets to say before I'm rudely dragged out of the Room of Requirement and thrown into the nearest classroom.

I pick myself up angrily, half expecting it to be Potter, only to be faced with a fuming Skyler – a sight that terrifies me almost every single time. Skyler is not one to be easily triggered, but when he does it's a bit difficult to deal with it.

"Why the _fuck_ would you do something like that, Lea? Do you think I did all of these expecting anything in return? Do you think my love for you is that cheap? Where the fuck did you get the money anyway?" He's pacing up and down as he screams at me, his fists balled up. He faces away from me and punches the wall, the entire class reverberating with the force of the punch. He rests his head against the wall and stays like that, fuming and panting, probably unable to figure out what to do next.

Unable to watch him get like this, I walk up to him slowly and hug him from behind. He starts to undo my arms but I will them to stay in place. To the amazement and shock of both of us, a weird sensation erupts from my arms and keeps him locked there in this stance.

"Hear me out" I sound calm but very _very_ dangerous.

He gives up, his shoulders slumping down slightly. I rest my right cheek on his hulking back and tell him everything - how I went flying with Fred, what he said about jinxing my broom in the first year, how he and Potter have been trying to make amends and the contents of my father's letter. I tell him how much gold was there in my vault and everything I bought during the day. I then confess to him - that I bought all of those Quidditch stuff because I want the two of us to try out for the team next year.

Even though this seems like a good explanation of my extravagant gift, I feel like I should explain my feelings further.

"I know you're plenty capable of buying all those things yourself. But the thing is Sky, it's physically impossible for me to buy something for myself without buying something for you. I just can't. Maybe it's something that comes along with my emotional baggage - I don't know. But Sky, is it so terrible for me be happy by making you happy?"

I can feel him give up physically. I loosen my grip on him and he turns around to kiss the top of my head, hugging me tight.

"No it's not so terrible. I'm sorry I overreacted. Although in my defense, I didn't know spending three thousand pounds in a day would be barely felt by you, Leanna Selwyn, who makes such a huge deal about money every single time I pull out a nickel from my pocket." He chuckles to himself before drawing back. "Say Lea, what was that thing you did without a wand or incantation just now?"

"Oh I almost forgot"

I then tell him about the crystal in the wall and what happened at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes – how James's and Ginny's gifts practically flew to me. He looks at me in amusement until I finish and shake his head as if saying I'm the most unpredictable thing he's ever met.

"We have a lot of new stuff to try out this holidays. Let's get back to the party."

With that he guides me out of the class, one arm draped around my shoulder, just in time for Potter to see us in our disheveled state.

He looks at us with his eyes bulging out of his sockets for a full minute before rushing away, muttering to himself - which sounds to me like he's asking us to get a bloody room.

"That's where we're coming from, mate" I scream at his receding back. He grunts loudly and picks up his pace and before we can even blink, he disappears inside the Room of Requirement.

Skyler and I snicker in response and follow him into the party.

This time I get to properly see what all the hype was about the Bunk Night.


End file.
